QR Codes. Gimmick or Viable Marketing Strategy?
By Amy Phillips, Creative Director
There’s never a dull moment in ad agency world when it comes to technology and new media applications. So one might ask, “what’s up with all the hubbub about QR codes?”
Short for Quick Response, QR codes were originally created in 1994 by a subsidiary of Toyota for tracking vehicle-manufacturing parts. Today, QR codes are quickly becoming more popular than traditional (vertical line) barcodes. Why? Because QR codes can hold up to 7,089 characters, whereas the traditional codes only hold a maximum of 20 digits. With their horizontal and vertical designs, QR codes not only hold more data than a traditional barcode, they can take up about one-tenth the space. Small QR codes are called Micro QR codes. Another big advantage to QR codes is that they can be scanned from any angle, which makes for much faster reading.
How do they work? Any smartphone equipped with a digital camera, along with decoding software can transform the data into meaningful content. The most common uses are to connect to a web address, dial a phone number, start an email with an address in place, and download an MP3. These actions happen at lightning speed.
Where do they work? Any medium where a QR code can appear or be printed. So, beyond the obvious, like magazines, newspapers and business cards, QR codes may appear on buses, signage, t-shirts, bar coasters, even tattoos.
So how can they work in branding and advertising? “QR Codes can definitely be used to enhance your marketing. These codes are useful for connecting with customers, capturing data, sharing exclusive content and increasing engagement. However, when the thought process of how and why consumers will use or be motivated to use QR Codes is not considered – then we’ve lost our way.” — Nathan Smoyer
An example of poor usage is placing a QR code in a television commercial. The idea that anyone is going to watch TV and wait to capture/scan a QR code is ludicrous. Rather, give the audience a simple URL and direct them to web content. This makes a lot more sense.
The medium is the message, right? So, placing a QR code in an outdoor environment like on a bus, subway, or poster where the target audience has time to see and scan the code could work well. But you have to make sure the audience riding those buses matches the target and has smartphones. More importantly, still, make sure that you are directing the audience to a user-friendly (mobile) site. And make sure it’s worth their while. This audience can tweet a negative remark about a company in a few seconds.
Interestingly, misuse of QR codes in marketing has triggered some negative sentiment toward the technology. Commenting on the Cannes Lions International Festival of Creativity this year, BBDO top creative and juror Dan Fietsam described work for Samsonite by JWT Shanghai as “beautiful creative” that was “contextually right” and didn’t have a “freaking QR code on it.”
Comment About Cannes Grand Prix Awards
PeakBiety Awarded Prestigious AdWords Certification
Tampa, FL – PeakBiety branding + advertising is proud to announce its recent recognition as a Google AdWords Certified Partner, one of only seven in the Tampa Bay area. This certification is a globally recognized stamp of approval, showcasing knowledge of the latest AdWords tools and best practice techniques.
To become a Google AdWords partner, a company must meet strict eligibility criteria. Rigorous certification exams must be passed which illustrate practical expertise in managing account and the ability to help clients get the most from their budgets. Additionally, a sustained volume of AdWords business must be maintained over specified periods.
An advertising product and Google’s main source of revenue, AdWords offers pay-per-click and site-targeted advertising for text, banner and rich-media ads. There are a variety of products including short text ads appearing in search engine results as well as image ads that run on Google’s Content Network.
If you’re interested in scheduling a demonstration to see how this cost-effective tool has helped other clients, call Glen Peak at 813-289-8006, extension 114 or email gpeak@peakbiety.com.
PeakBiety branding + advertising® services local, regional and national clients in a variety of business sectors. The agency focuses on adding value for its clients by improving customer perceptions. This commitment is summed up in the agency’s promise, “the power of perception®.”
PeakBiety is also one of the few agencies in Tampa Bay to meet the strict requirements for membership in the prestigious American Association of Advertising Agencies (4As).
Healthcare Branding Week: Complexities of Healthcare Advertising Online
Part 4 of 5
Despite a down economy, online advertising in 2009 saw steady growth according to a survey conducted by PricewaterhouseCoopers published in April 2010. “Search revenue accounted for 47 percent of 2009 revenues, up from the 45 percent reported in 2008. Display advertising also showed solid growth, accounting for 35 percent of 2009 revenue up from 33 percent in 2008. Digital video, which is a component of display advertising, increased 38 percent from 2008 to 2009.” (PWC 2010) But along with this phenomenal growth come phenomenal complexities.
Following and targeting consumers online is challenging in the healthcare industry. Consumers commonly search for information on heathcare sites such as WebMD. However, they are also increasingly turning to user-generated health content such as blogs, chat groups and physician and hospital rankings. Many user-generated sites contain health information that is incorrect or misleading.
Behavioral targeting becomes useful to track information about an individual’s web-browsing behavior by identifying pages visited and searches made. Select ads can then be specifically targeted to the individual and placed on reputable sites.
Further, retargeting offers a powerful tool to reach a consumer by displaying multiple impressions of the same ad to the same user, based on behavior. For example: a newly diagnosed patient comes home from the doctor and searches for “diabetes treatments.” After browsing through a few sites, the patient moves on to another site such as the New York Times to read the news. At this point, an ad for the diabetes treatment product (from the previous site visited) will appear.
According to a recent study by the Network Advertising Initiative, conversion rates for retargeted ads are 6.8% compared to 2.8% for non-targeted ads (NAI 2010). However, privacy is an issue.
In a post earlier this week, “Consumers Go Online For Healthcare Answers,” we discussed the growing trend of consumers becoming increasingly proactive online, with some not wishing to publicly identify with certain healthcare brands or social networks. Other consumers may be concerned about privacy online, and choose not to participate in the various health communities available.
While some consumer advocacy groups have expressed concern over behaviorally targeted ads, others point out that it is simply a means of displaying relevant content to users. Users are tracked via cookies on their computers, and no names or other personal information is collected. Additionally, most ad platforms don’t allow users to be targeted based on anything they have read relating to mental or sexual health.
So far, the FDA has been silent on the issue of guidelines for online advertising, referring questions to longstanding policies governing traditional forms of advertising and promotion. Pharmaceutical companies, in particular, are struggling with how to incorporate fair balance information into their online endeavors.
“Consumers’ demand is clear. We want the best health information possible to live healthier lives,” said John Bell, a Word of Mouth Marketing Association board member. “Thirty-six percent of people who gathered information about a health condition online subsequently spoke to their doctors as a result, and 21% made a change to their lifestyle because of the information they found. That information comes from professional health sources, healthcare companies and our peers. We need to protect consumers while making it easier for health care companies to use digital and social media to serve their patients and customers better.”
Sources:
PricewaterhouseCoopers. “IAB Internet Advertising Revenue Report.” Interactive Advertising Bureau (IAB) April 2010
NAI (Network Advertising Initiative) “Study Finds Behaviorally-Targeted Ads More Than Twice As Valuable, Twice As Effective As Non-Targeted Online Ads.“ 24 March 2010.
Smith, Kristen. “Word of Mouth Marketing Association Urges FDA to Provide Social Media Guidelines for Health Care and Pharma Companies.” Word of Mouth Marketing Association 9 March 2010.
Healthcare Branding Week: Where does Social Media fit in?
Part 3 of 5
Security risks, privacy concerns, possible HIPAA violations… its easy to see why health care organizations might be frightened by social media. Then, there are those who just wonder if it is all a waste of time and resources.
In spite of these concerns, the number of hospitals and healthcare entities with an online social media presence is growing by leaps and bounds. In May 2010, an estimated 730 hospitals had social media accounts—compared to 370 eight months ago. Chris Boyer, Senior Manager of Digital Communications at Inova Health Systems says, “Social media is a way to develop mindshare. People don’t think about hospitals until they need one. Social media efforts get them to start caring and helps to build trust and to develop a personal relationship.” (Seegert 2010)
The rise of so-called “e-Patients” creates many opportunities for engagement. e-Patients are defined as those “who are equipped, enabled, empowered and engaged in their health and health care decisions” (Sharp 2010). E-Patients believe informed self-care is the starting point for good health, and want to be actively involved with doctors and medical centers in shaping health information and services. Many e-Patients are recording their medical conditions online in an effort to track and self-diagnose themselves, within online medical communities such as patientslikeme.com or curetogether.com.
“Social media is here to stay in health care, but it will evolve quickly.” says John Sharp, manager of Research Informatics in the Department of Quantitative Health Sciences at the Cleveland Clinic in Ohio. He believes that patient engagement will continue to characterize this change. Customer service, community outreach, education, public relations, crisis communications, recruitment, brand monitoring and service recovery are just a few of the areas that can be addressed by a social media campaign.
The North Shore LIJ Health System (NSLIJ), one of the country’s largest healthcare providers, has had great success using social media to drive fundraising. Donors can text pledges to the foundation via cell phone, or click through from inspirational YouTube videos. Marisa Fedele, associate director of communications for NSLIJ, says her only regret is not integrating social media into the mix sooner.
The bottom line? There are a lot of patients out there looking for information and an opportunity to connect with their health care organizations. Reaching out to them will not only improve communication, it will help build trust and brand recognition. Just make sure you have a social media plan in place to guide the content and quality of information published under your brand’s name, and integrate the effort with other more traditional media for consistent communication.
Sources:
Sharp, John. “Social Media in Health Care: Barriers and Future Trends.” iHealthBeat. 6 May 2010.
Seegert, Liz. “Hospitals gain community mindshare through social media.” ThinkSocial 11 May 2010.
Healthcare Branding Week: Consumers Go Online For Healthcare Answers
Part 2 of 5
Consumers of all ages are becoming increasingly proactive online when it comes to getting answers about their health. This includes choosing doctors, treatments and healthcare facilities. A study by the Pew Internet Project found that 75-80% of internet users have looked online for health information, and that the internet is ranked second only to physicians when it comes to gathering trustworthy information about health-related topics (Fox 2008).
An even more recent study shows that 40% of hospital or urgent-care center patients report that social media influenced their healthcare choices, with the percentage jumping to over 50% in the 25-34 age bracket (Marketing Charts 2009).
A Nielsen study found that 39% of patients already use an online support group to discuss medications or treatments, and that “the anonymity of the internet affords a comfort level that encourages individuals to share details about their symptoms, treatment history, experiences with their doctors, the efficacy and side effects of medication, the impact of their condition on their own lives and more.” (Davies 2008)
However, depending on the nature and seriousness of various conditions, consumers may not wish to publicly identify with the brand on social networks such as Twitter or Facebook. To counteract stigma, some healthcare brands, such as GlaxoSmithKline’s weight loss product, Alli, have overcome stigma by creating their own community where consumers congregate, share personal stories and milestones.
Hospitals can facilitate consumer engagement by offering services and interactivity through their Web sites. A good example is Community Memorial Hospital in Menomonee Fall, WI. Their home page offerings include an “Ask Our Nurse” service, a baby gallery, a way to send patients e-cards, and a direct link to CarePages.
Some hospitals now post emergency room wait times online as a way to manage patients’ expectations for non life-threatening situations. Such is the case at Liking Memorial Hospital in Newark as reported in April, 2010. According to the chief executive officer of the hospital this effort not only helps the hospital be more transparent, “making this information available was another step in making the community see how we’re doing and how we’re taking care of them as a hospital system.” (Hoholik 2010)
Overall, creating a strong healthcare brand presence online can be challenging. A successful online initiative should integrate carefully with the overall brand strategy and offer new ways of listening, interacting and engaging with consumers. Gaining attention in the crowded electronic field takes special creativity in order to stand out.
Sources:
Fox, Susannah. “The Engaged E-patient Population.” PewInternet.org 26 Aug. 2008.
MarketingCharts.com Berthiaume , Dan. 30 Sept. 2009.
Davies, Melissa. “Listening to Consumers in a Highly Regulated Environment: How Pharmaceutical Manufacturers Can Leverage Consumer-Generated Media.” Nielsen Online August 2008.
Hoholik, Suzanne. “Hosptial in Newark posts ER wait time on Web site.” The Columbus Dispatch 3 April 2010.
Extend the Power of Your Brand
As new technologies offer exciting ways to influence audiences, it is increasingly important to communicate a consistent brand value across multiple-media platforms.
PeakBiety has been utilizing the power of perception® to maximize brand values for more than 20 years. We work hard to be a business-building partner by bringing ideas to the table that work across whatever channels are right for the brand. In this spirit, we’d like to highlight some of our newer services that can powerfully extend your brand communications.
Eblast Campaigns
Email campaigns are a cost-effective way to keep in touch with customers and prospects. We handle everything from project planning to creative concepts, to design, to copywriting. We’ll even execute delivery working with email marketing software, manage databases, schedule programs and track results.
Case Study: Numara
After a complete branding of the Numara Software company, we were asked to help promote their newest version of Track-It,® a help desk and asset management solution. What made Track-It® different? It provided optimal customization for multi-users’ functions within an organization. So, we developed an Eblast campaign highlighting the idea of a personalized solution by contrasting two completely different users with different needs. Our client’s product is the most widely installed help desk and asset management solution in the world.
Interactive Media & Flash
Flash and interactive presentations can help bring your product or service to life with audience involvement as well as animation, motion and sound. We strategize, concept, storyboard and script presentations. We also execute and produce the media using a host of software applications such as Flash, After Effects and Camtasia—all with extendibility in mind to get the most out of your budget.
Case Study: Persystent
Persystent Software, a company making business-level PC recovery software, sought to significantly improve awareness of its unique products. They wanted to communicate how they help PC users remain productive and work ready at all times—whether on or off a network. After alternative creative concepts were developed and tested, a “graphic novel” execution was selected. Among other pieces of a larger campaign, this animated flash banner was developed for Persystent’s homepage to quickly communicate the product benefits in a dramatic and engaging way, and direct viewers to download a demo. Inquiries elevated to record levels.
Online Media Planning & Buying
With limited ad budgets, relevant and targeted advertising is essential. We’ve taken our 20 years of media-buying savvy and adapted to the online world, developing efficient and effective plans utilizing new technologies. Our experience with geotargeting and retargeting has provided proven results.
Case Study: Florida-Friendly Landscaping Program™
The Florida-Friendly Landscaping Program™ educates the public about best practices to conserve and protect water resources. After a season of unprecedented freezes, they wanted to reach homeowners in Hillsborough, Pasco and Pinellas counties with information about cold-tolerant plants and methods of replanting which reduce the need for water, fertilizer and pesticides. We geographically and behaviorally targeted Web banners to reach homeowners in a three-county area, interested in gardening and landscaping. Over a two-month period, the landing page logged almost 3,000 unique hits, with approximately 24% of them resulting from click-throughs on the banner ads.
Search Engine Marketing
Also known as SEM, this form of internet marketing promotes Web sites by increasing visibility within search engine results. The many forms of SEM include paid placement, contextual advertising, paid inclusion and search engine optimization (SEO).
Case Study: TECO
Tampa Electric works hard to balance growing demands for electricity with environmental responsibility. For their new Energy PlannerSM program, we developed a campaign encouraging customers to save energy, lower the cost of electric bills and help the environment. Web banners ran on multiple local sites including TBO.com and TampaBay.com. Geographic targeting was used to reach only those consumers in the Tampa Electric service area. Recently, a search engine marketing component was added to reach consumers expressing an interest in greening their homes or lowering their electric bills. From April through May, 2010, Tampa Electric benefited from an amazing 1.3% clickthrough rate which is well above the accepted national average of 0.02-0.04%.
Social Media Development
A social media campaign, like any medium, needs a clearly defined strategy in sync with the overall brand strategy. What you are trying to accomplish—sales, awareness, discussion or even goodwill—will determine which social networks make sense and how to utilize them. Twitter, Facebook, LinkedIn, YouTube, and blogs can build consumer dialogue and promote a brand or product message.
Case Study: Cancer Research Alliance
Home to nine Nobel Prize winners, Cancer Research Alliance (CRA) member centers have a long history of groundbreaking achievements in cancer research. PeakBiety developed a cause marketing campaign around the theme, “The infinite power of one.” An integrated campaign involving email marketing, Web banner ads, radio spots and a Web-aired video explained that if everyone gave just one dollar and pasted the message on to their friends, cancer research would be pushed ahead. In addition to giving a dollar, donors were invited to add their photos to a cure mosaic on the site to “change the face of cancer”. Within weeks, the site went viral as word spread through social networks about being part of such a worthy cause.
Web Design
Our strategic process of developing Web sites starts with identifying goals, audiences, and brand considerations. Once objectives are defined, we develop architecture, write copy, design graphics, create layouts and orchestrate programming. Our Web sites come with built-in search engine optimization features.
Case Study: Tampa Bay Water
Tampa Bay Water develops and delivers high-quality drinking water for the region. Having produced several effective annual reports for them, they knew we had a good understanding of their business. They needed a Web site that would allow them to communicate to the public their mission, as well as new projects and developments. The site, TampaBayWater.org, is now ranked in the top 24% of all Web sites for traffic by Alexa (a service that measures traffic for millions of sites on the Internet), and has an excellent score of 91 from grader.com.
Web Banners & Videos
Banner ads are the most common form of Web advertising and can be very effective when targeted appropriately. Video content enhances Web banners with more graphic content and special effects. And once produced, video content can be cost-effectively repurposed for a multitude of uses.
Case Study: Florida-Friendly Landscaping Program™
To educate homeowners on how to manage landscape recovery efforts after extreme cold weather, the Florida-Friendly Landscaping Program™ needed a turn-key communication program. In response, we developed an integrated marketing campaign including direct mail, newspaper, Web banners and a landing page, RightPlant.org. The theme, “Rethink before you replant” carried throughout. Utilizing video in the banners helped capture viewer attention and drive traffic to the landing page for more information. Over a two-month period, the landing page logged almost 3,000 unique hits, with approximately 24% of them resulting from click-throughs on the banner ads.
Is your online budget going to waste?
With limited ad budgets, relevant and targeted advertising becomes essential.
Geotargeting
Geographic and demographic targeting on the internet serves web ads based on location, age, sex, income, education level, etc. This allows any size company to target a message to a tighter geography surrounding its location. It can also allow a company with an erratic footprint or service area to focus on sending a message to specific areas/zip codes it services. This affords an advertiser the luxury of building some frequency of message to a specific target audience, delivering a better ROI. An important note to remember is that many people work at a different location than they live and the bulk of internet traffic happens during the work day.
Retargeting
Retargeting is a form of internet targeted advertising by which online advertising is delivered to consumers based on their prior internet actions which did not result in a sale or conversion.
Retargeting is based on where the user “was.” Ads then follow users to subsequent sites to reinforce message, bring a user back or make a new offer.
Example: Kathy recently visited the Walmart website. With retargeting, Walmart ads follow Kathy to increase her likelihood of purchasing from Walmart.
Most likely, a company has spent marketing dollars to get a customer to their site in the first place, so the term retargeting is derived from the concept of marketing to them again.
Some studies suggest that a company needs to have seven different “contacts” with a customer (on average) before they make a purchase. Retargeting allows a company to continue its marketing conversation with a customer after leaving the website.
For more details, contact Cheryl Erlenbach at 315-863-1621 or cheryl@peakbiety.com.
Is your online budget going to waste?
By Donette Arcos, Media Director
With limited ad budgets, relevant and targeted advertising becomes essential.
Geotargeting
Geographic and demographic targeting on the internet serves web ads based on location, age, sex, income, education level, etc. This allows any size company to target a message to a tighter geography surrounding its location. It can also allow a company with an erratic footprint or service area to focus on sending a message to specific areas/zip codes it services. This affords an advertiser the luxury of building some frequency of message to a specific target audience, delivering a better ROI. An important note to remember is that many people work at a different location than they live and the bulk of internet traffic happens during the work day.
Retargeting
Retargeting is a form of internet targeted advertising by which online advertising is delivered to consumers based on their prior internet actions which did not result in a sale or conversion.
Retargeting is based on where the user “was.” Ads then follow users to subsequent sites to reinforce message, bring a user back or make a new offer.
Example: Kathy recently visited the Walmart website. With retargeting, Walmart ads follow Kathy to increase her likelihood of purchasing from Walmart.
Most likely, a company has spent marketing dollars to get a customer to their site in the first place, so the term retargeting is derived from the concept of marketing to them again.
Some studies suggest that a company needs to have seven different “contacts” with a customer (on average) before they make a purchase. Retargeting allows a company to continue its marketing conversation with a customer after leaving the website.
For more details, contact Donette Arcos, Media Director, at info@peakbiety.com.
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